


Santa Maria

by jeien



Series: Oofuri Rarepair Ship Week 2016 [4]
Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Holding Hands, Love Confessions, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 01:33:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7738069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeien/pseuds/jeien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riou lets go. </p><p>Companion fic to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/7728616">Just Like That</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Santa Maria

**Author's Note:**

> For Rarepair Day 4: Unrequited feat RiouJun

_Oh, Santa Maria, you don't say anything._  
_Let's hold hands, even if it doesn't mean much._

Junta paled.

He sighed—well, he’d be lying if he didn’t see this coming. “Jun-san, it’s fine. I already know you like Kazu-san. But I at least wanted to tell you so I can get over it. So stop sitting around on your ass and tell Kazu-san about your feelings already!”

Thinking back on their friendship, Riou had been an idiot to somehow miss the obvious cues Junta showed over the years: the short distance he put between them when they walked home, the shy glances, the tender smiles, the subtle touches on Kazuki’s shoulder…

And Riou fell in love with him anyway.

“Wait a sec, you know I can’t just—”

“If I could, then you definitely can!” Riou interrupted. “It doesn’t take a genius to see that he feels the same way. Besides, it’s pretty insulting if I get rejected by you here and you don’t even try to get your man!”

Junta bit his lower lip with brows knit tightly together. Even when he’s frustrated, Riou couldn’t help but find him beautiful. There was an ember that burned in his stomach—something he could rouse into a full flame that would make him fight for the chance of receiving Junta’s affections. But he smothered that ember as soon as he felt it. Riou doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t want to strain their friendship and ruin all those years the three of them spent together. More than anything—more than baseball or his brother’s opinion or even his own one-sided feelings—he wanted Junta and Kazuki to be happy.

“Jun-san,” Riou said. Junta managed to break away from the hurricane in his thoughts and looked up. “I know you’re scared. I was, too. But Kazu-san’s already in his third year. You don’t have much time left, even if spring is months away. You need to tell him.”

“ _How?_ ” Junta asked, pushing the weight of his struggles into that one word. “How could I possibly tell him I love him? We’re two guys and we go to a mission kei school, for fuck’s sake! He’s at the point where he needs to start preparing for his future. He’s been working his ass off to get into university, to find a good job, to be able to settle down and start a family. I’m only in that equation as a friend—someone he can trust and rely on. I don’t want to betray that.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be missing out on the chance he says _yes_ ,” Riou said, closing the distance between them. Junta was almost on the verge of tears. _He’d never let us see him cry if he could help it_ , Riou thought. _I have to be Kazu-san right now; what are the right words to tell him?_ He reached out and held Junta’s hands. “Jun-san, if you don’t take the risk, then you’ll never win.”

Junta was trying hard to keep himself together, Riou could tell as he felt Junta’s hands shake. He finally managed to choke out, “How do I even say it to him?”

“Plain and simple,” Riou said. “Just like how you tell him about everything else.”

“I…I’ll think about it.”  

It was a start. “Well, good.”  

They gathered their things and locked up the club house. They barely made it past the gate before Junta’s phone buzzed. _I’ll be there tomorrow. Don’t slack off. Tell that to everyone._ Something stung in Riou’s chest, but he ignored it. He looked at Junta, staring intently at the text. No words needed to be exchanged between them. Riou could already tell—Junta was going to tell him tomorrow.

“Jun-san,” Riou said, “can you hold my hand until we have to split up to go home?”

“Huh?”  

“I mean, I just helped you out big time right after you rejected me. I should at least get some consolation prize. It’s not like you’re getting my hopes up or something.”

Junta sighed. “Fine, fine. C’mere.”

They didn’t worry about anyone getting the wrong idea; no one was out and about during that time of the evening. They didn’t talk. They simply kept going forward, hand in hand. For Riou, it was enough. He thought of all the could-have-beens. He thought of the way they could have twined their fingers together, adjusting the grip every now and then to be a little tighter—a silent assurance that he’d never let go. It was enough. It _had_ to be enough.

When they eventually have to go their separate ways, Riou is the first to pull his hand away.  

“Jun-san, we’re still friends, right?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll support you no matter what. Even if it’s not the way I would’ve hoped to.”

“…I’m sorry, Riou.”

“It’s okay. Make sure you tell him straight.”

For the first time since he confessed, Junta smiled. “You’re really growing up, huh? Saying all these cool and mature lines. You’ll make someone happy in the future.”

 _It would have been you_. “Yeah, I hope. Good night, Jun-san.”

With a final wave, they both went home. Riou bore his brother’s heckling, ate dinner, made small talk with his parents, and finally closed the door to his bedroom. He sunk down against the door, holding his knees close until they pressed up against his chest hard enough to steal some of his breath away. He let a sob escape. _Lord, help me let this go_.

The next day, Kazuki returned. Prayer time was held. Practice resumed. Practice ended. End-of-the-day prayer time. The third years were being crazy again. Everything was as it should have been. His confession to Junta seemed like a summer’s fever dream.

As he locked up the club house, he heard it.

“Kazuki, I like you.”

Riou closed his eyes and remembered the warmth of Junta’s hand. It was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, mission kei schools are Christian missionary schools. I feel like it's more appropriate to coin it that way than to just identify Tosei as a "Christian school."


End file.
